A review by 3iii8v
The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka

4.0

“Above ground, many of us are ungainly and awkward, slowing down with the years... Down below, at the pool, we are restored to old youthful selves. Grey hairs vanish beneath dark blue swim caps. Brows unfurrow, limps disappear.”

I really loved and enjoyed the first half of the book. Vivid and evocative descriptions of the swimmers and the swimming pool with lots of intense details and a nice and flowing narration that made me feel as though I was swimming in the pool with all of these people.

But the second half left me dumbfounded and quite displeased immediately from the first page. I was convinced that there was a misprint in my copy because the narrative changes instantly, the setting changes, the tone changes and only one character stays in the story.

Honestly, if they had been two separate and more in-depth books I would have preferred them. Still a good book, but I'm just not into it.